A storage device may store and/or retrieve information via removable media. For example, a Compact Disc (CD) drive reads information from a CD that can be inserted into or removed from the drive. The storage device may also transmit information to a host system (e.g., by transmitting information to a motherboard via a serial interface). In some cases, the host system may need to determine whether or not the removable media is currently present in the storage device (e.g., to perform a certain action when a CD is inserted into a CD drive). For example, the host system may command the storage device to transition from a lower-power state to a higher-power state when removable media is inserted. As another example, an Operating System (OS) or application executing at the host system might perform a task when removable media is inserted (e.g., by automatically asking a user whether or not information on the media should be played).